Roman roads were both a product of empire and a key ingredient to its success. Traditionally founded on 21 April 753 BC, Rome didn’t formally become an Empire until 27 BC. That’s when the Senate named Octavian princeps (first citizen). With nothing more than waning traditions restraining them, he and his successors ruled as emperors until the empire was divided 284. The Western empire disappeared in 476, while the Eastern half persisted until the final sack of Constantinople in 1453.
Size of the Empire
At its height the Roman Empire ranged from the Scottish border to the Nile and from Caucasus to the Atlantic. The Romans controlled the entire Mediterranean Sea basin, which the Romans referred to as mare nostrum (our sea). Historians estimate that as many as 100 million people lived within the 2 million square miles of territory. No other European nation approached those numbers until the mid 1800s. While Rome wasn’t the first city to reach 1 million inhabitants (Alexandria Egypt beat Rome by ~200 years), no other European city passed Rome’s peak population until the early 19th century.
History of Roman Roads
Prior to the political establishment of the Empire, the Roman Republic came to dominate Italy and the western Mediterranean. While the development of a navy was critical to their victories over Carthage in the three Punic Wars, roads allowed Rome to dominate elsewhere. Begun during the 4th century BC, the system connected cities, towns, and military bases. While the standards varied, public roads (vias) were generally 8-12’ wide in straight sections and as much as twice that in curves. The wider roads allowed standard Roman carts (4’ wide) to share the road without impeding pedestrians.
Features of the System
At its height 372 roads connected the Empire’s more than 100 provinces, with an incredible 29 major roadways from the capital. The 250K mile (400K km) system included 50K miles (80K km) of stone-paved roads and another 200K miles of roadway. Their paths cut through hills, over rivers, and through marshes. Each road included markers every 1,000 paces, which was just under 5,000 feet. In addition to the milage for the specific road, the marker also included the distance to the Roman Forum. A golden milestone near the Temple of Saturn listed the distance to all major cities in the empire.
This brings us to our featured map of Roman roads projected as a modern transit map comes courtesy of Sasha Trubetskoy. For more info visit Sasha’s Website
Pretty cool! It also reminds me of a bit from my favorite comedy troop, Monty Python. This one is from the Life of Brian and seeks to answer the question, ‘What have the Romans ever done for us?’
What have the Romans ever done for us video
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
Note to pay the bills: If you’re interested in a James Bond-like thriller set in a high fantasy world, with a map I created, look into The Warders. You can find a summary of the series here or find links to purchase books here.
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